"We are already at birth numbers that
haven't been seen for at least a couple of generations, probably not in the
working life of any midwife practising today.

"Today's midwives simply have never
seen anything like it. The demand this is placing on the NHS is enormous."

The average number of births per midwife
has worsened recently and RCM estimate the UK is short of 5,150 full-time
equivalent midwives.

More than a quarter of UK heads of
midwifery told RCM that their budget has been cut in the last 12 months,

In a poll of 2,000 midwives, 89% said they
did not feel able to give women all the care and support they need.

Ms Warwick said: "NHS maternity
services, especially in England, are on a knife-edge.

"We have carried shortages for years,
but with the number of births going up and up and up. I really believe we are
at the limit of what maternity services can safely deliver."

Student midwife numbers are also being cut
and student bursaries for midwives are being cut by £890 in Northern Ireland.

Newly-qualified midwives are struggling to
find jobs and a third of new midwives are unemployed.

Of these, almost a half (47%) have been
looking for a job for more than three months.

Ms Warwick added: "What is so frustrating
is that there is a clear need for more midwives. We have record-breaking birth
figures and we need all the midwives we can get.

"We're training midwives, but we're
not recruiting them. That is a sad waste of all their time and effort, and a
waste of taxpayers' money too."

Several maternity units have closed this
year, including three birth centres in the East Midlands and units in
Canterbury and Dover.

Ms Warwick said: "The units that have
closed are the tip of the iceberg. A 10th of the heads of midwifery who
responded to our recent survey told us that they have a midwife-led unit in
their area that is in danger of closure."